Where We Left Off
by TimeNebula
Summary: "Love is beautiful, so what if it brings a little pain with it? Love is endless; even if the people we love die, and our friends disappear, their love always remains alive. As long as our hearts beat, we will love."
1. Amor sempiternus

"Did you hear? We have a new music teacher." Val informs him as she sits down beside him on the couch halfway through lunch. "He'll be here tomorrow."

"Shouldn't he be here today? It's the first day back." Sam furrows his brows.

Val shrugs, "He is here, but apparently, he's testing the instruments, and making lesson plans. According to Stannis, anyway."

As Sam looks around the teachers' lounge looking for the Principal and does not find him anywhere, he frowns, "And Principal Stannis allowed it? Shouldn't he have had it done before school began?"

"From what I've gathered, he only got here barely a week ago. Stannis is cutting him some slack."

"What's his name, then, this new music teacher?"

Val smiles as the bell rings signaling the end of lunch. "Jon Targaryen. His name is Jon Targaryen."

Sam is passing by the music room on his way to the staff room when he hears the sound of a hauntingly beautiful melody being played. When he peeks inside the room, he sees a dark haired young man playing the violin with his eyes closed. Sam stands there at the doorway captivated by the melody, and when the last note fades out, he starts clapping. The man snaps his eyes open and turns to look at the door, at him, and Sam is shocked into stupor by the sight of sheer devastation in the man's expression before his face quickly settles into blankness.

"I heard your music from outside. It's beautiful." Sam hastily tells him to fill the awkward silence.

"Thank you," The man bows his head slightly.

"I'm Sam, Samwell Tarly. I'm the English teacher here," Sam tells him.

The man looks at him warily, "Jon Targaryen. Newly appointed music teacher."

"It's very nice to meet you. Welcome to the school, and all that," Sam falters slightly before blurting out, "Actually I'm on my way to the staff room right now. You should come with me. I will introduce you to the rest of your colleagues."

The man, Jon, smiles at him apologetically, "Thanks for the offer, but I have to test the other instruments."

He picks up another violin and places the bow on its strings.

Sam knows a dismissal when he sees one, so he bids him a good day and continues on his way to the staff room. The sound of music follows him until he turns the hallway.

"I just met the new teacher," Sam tells Grenn, the PE teacher, as he takes a seat beside him on the staff room, "Jon Targaryen."

Grenn pauses in reading the newspaper to look at him, "How is he?"

Sam shrugs, "He's a nice enough bloke. Heard him playing from the hallway and went inside the music room to see. He plays good, actually."

Grenn snorts, "Stannis wouldn't hire him otherwise, would he?"

Sam has to give it to him, "No, he would not."

Sam rubs his forehead wearily, "No, Gilly. I am _not_ assigning you The Hobbit as your assignment."

Gilly Craster frowns at him, a number of girls along with her doing the same. The boys snicker at them, and the girls glare right back.

Sam resists the urge to bang his head on the nearest surface. His fourth year girls and boys have some sort of rivalry going on between them, and they counter each other's words at every chance they get. They continue their feud even during every class they have, and his class is no different.

He grimaces before schooling his face into a hopefully stern expression, "You are to read To Kill A Mockingbird, and that's _final_."

The girls scowl, but then Ygritte Wilding calls out from among them, "Mr. Tarly, I heard that we have a new music teacher?"

Sam thanks the Seven for Ygritte, and smiles in relief at her, "Yes, we do. You will all meet him tomorrow. He is nice."

Olly Black calls out from the back, "Have you heard him play yet, sir?"

Sam pauses before answering, "Yes, I have actually. I daresay he plays the violin well," at the look of curiosity on his students' faces, he adds, "That's the only instrument I've heard him play."

"Is he handsome?" Elinor Tyrell giggles.

The boys shoot her disgruntled glances, but the girls all look eagerly at Sam. He sighs resignedly before answering, "Er, some would say so, I suppose."

The girls look like they want to ask more questions about the new teacher, but the bell rings signaling the end of class. They look between him and the door, ultimately choosing to go home as quick as they can. _Saved by the bell_ , Sam laments.

As the students start to pour out of the class, Sam calls out to them, "Don't forget to get started on your assignment!"

As per rule, the teachers all stay in school for another hour. Some help the students with their extra-curricular activities, and some stay in the staff room to help should any student require it.

"So I hear you met the new teacher?" Val questions him the minute she comes in. As she takes a seat right beside him at the table, he grimaces.

"Where did you hear that from?" Val smirks at him, and Sam answers his own question with a drawn out sigh, "Of course, you heard from the students."

"So?" She continues, "I hear that you think he's _handsome_?"

Sam sputters for a moment before scowling at her, "I did _not_ say that. The girls asked and I said he would be to _some_."

Val laughs at him, "Of course. Anyway, the kiddies said you heard him play as well?"

"Don't call them kiddies. It's mildly creepy," She raises her eyebrows at him and he sighs again, "Yes, I heard him play the violin. From what I've seen, he seems talented."

"Is he as good as Thorne was?"

"Better, I daresay," Sam admits dryly.

Val laughs loudly, drawing Davos and Melissandre's eyes momentarily from where they are speaking with the Principal. Val waves them off and they turn back to Stannis who has not noticed the slight lapse in their attention.

"Don't let the old coot hear that, or he might just come back from retirement to challenge him to a music duel."

Sam passes the music room again on his way home after school hours are over. He peeks inside curiously and discovers Jon in his office at the back of the room bowed over his papers. He hesitates for a moment before knocking on the door. Jon looks up, and when he sees Sam standing at the door, he waves him in. Sam looks around the music room in curiosity before crossing over into the small office. The room is neat and organized; the only sign of mess is a clutter of papers strewn over the desk.

"Settled in nicely, I hope?" Sam queries politely.

Jon smiles as he takes a picture frame out of his brown messenger bag and sets it on the desk, "Yes, all in a day's work."

Sam looks at the picture frame Jon just took out. It's a lovely picture of Jon and a young woman with their arms around each other. They are looking at each other instead of the camera with big smiles on their faces. _They look happy_ , Sam thinks to himself.

"Girlfriend?" He asks, nodding at the young woman in the photograph.

Jon's lips stretch into a grin, "Fiancée, actually. Arya, her name is Arya."

"You make a lovely couple together, Mr. Targaryen," Sam remarks sincerely.

Jon smiles amicably at him, "Call me Jon, please. And thank you."

An uncomfortable silence falls between them before Sam turns to leave, "Well, I'll be on my way then. Good day, Jon."

He's almost at the door when Jon calls out, "And a good day to you, Mr. Tarly."


	2. Numquam Periit Amor

_"What is this piece called?" Jon grins at her._

 _Arya ignores him as she continues playing, her fingers moving over the piano keys like a lover's caress._

 _"Arya!" He calls out again, just to annoy her._

 _"Jon?" Arya hums, "Shut up."_

 _"No, seriously. It's a beautiful piece. Maybe I can play it on my violin?"_

 _Arya stops in her playing and looks up at him with a bright smile, "We can play it together for Sansa's Sweet Sixteenth. She will love it!"_

 _Jon crosses over the room to stand beside her, and puts his arms around her shoulder in an embrace. Still seated on the bench in front of the piano, Arya leans into him._

* * *

Jon settles into his new flat rather quickly. He puts their piano at a corner of his living room, the large beautiful instrument fitting in gracefully with the elegant décor of the flat. _Needle_ , Arya used to call it. He wonders how Arya would find his new flat. She would probably hate it. " _Chaos, Jon,"_ he can hear her saying, " _chaos has its own sort of beauty in it."_ Growing up at the Stark Mansion, her room has always been just that: chaos. Even after she had moved in with him, their room had always held a tiny bit of chaos, despite his efforts to keep it orderly. He can still see her in his mind, sprawled across their bed, painting stars on her wrists. Arya Stark had been chaos and whirlwind and music, and _Gods_ he had loved her.

 _Loves_ , he corrects himself, _he loves her._ After all, he knows that even if Arya is not here, their song is not over. Their song is still playing, and sometimes he sees her in front of the piano smiling at him, and he thinks their song will never end.

 _Not everything ends_ , Jon muses to himself, _not love._


	3. Semper Fidelis

They all meet the new teacher the next morning. He is handsome, but there's a hint of grief clouding his eyes. Sam says as much to Val, and she laughs it off, blaming his literary heart.

Principal Stannis introduces Jon Targaryen to the staff, and Jon smiles at them all. "I'm honored to be a part of the school," he says.

Sam trails after Grenn and Pyp as they move over to where Jon is speaking with Davos when Stannis ends the meeting. They still have half an hour before classes start.

They introduce themselves, and Val joins them in their welcoming greetings. Jon shakes their hands and smiles at them all, but Sam can't help but think he is haunted by something unseen. The way his eyes slides over them for a moment to look at a shadowy corner of the room, before coming back to meet theirs unnerves him slightly, but when their eyes lock, Sam does not say anything.

 _We all have our ghosts_ ; _and we are all haunted by them,_ his mind whispers to him.

* * *

Sam overhears from the chattering students that their first music class has been a hit. They all chatted about how friendly he was, and how handsome he was _. First day in the school and Jon is already a popular amongst the students._ Sam envies the new addition to their staff.

When he enters the staff room when lunch hour begins, Sam immediately spots Jon into a conversation with Melissandre. The young man looks distinctly uncomfortable, and he can only guess what Melissandre Asshai is talking about. The Religion Studies donned in all red has always unnerved him with her talks of her Red God, R'hllor. Sam makes a momentarily decision to rescue the young man from Melisandre's fiery clutches.

He strides over to them quickly, "Jon! There you are! You must tell me how your first day went!"

Jon looks at him with a grateful smile and promptly excuses himself. Melisandre looks put out for a moment before spotting Stannis and Davos in the far corner of the room and hurrying over to them.

As Sam turns around to walk over to the table, Jon joins him, "Thank you, Mr. Tarly. Is she always so –" he trails off, evidently looking for the right word.

"Intense?" Sam supplies, and at Jon's nod, continues, "Yes, I suppose she is. But she _is_ the Religion Studies teacher, so I suppose she feels rather strong about it. And you must call me Sam."

Before Jon can answer, Val joins them.

"So, did the students give you any trouble?" She smirks at him.

"They have all been lovely so far. They are rather well taught at music as well. I suppose I have the former teacher to thank for that?" Jon enquiries.

"Alliser Thorn," Val drawls, "Grumpy fella, but I suppose dealing with kids for so long could do that to one."

Jon chuckles, dragging a hand through his hair, and Sam can see the exact moment Val notices the silver band on his ring finger.

"You engaged?" She gestures at the ring, and at his nod, grins, "Lucky girl. Or is it a boy?"

Sam almost groans at her tactlessness, but Jon only smiles, "I'm the lucky one to have her."

"Have you got a picture?"

Jon hesitates for the briefest of moments before taking out his wallet and handing it to her. Sam leans in to see as well. It's a small picture of Jon's fiancée, Arya. She is smiling with her eyes closed, and there is a violin over her left shoulder. Her right hand is placing the bow over the strings, and Sam thinks he can understand why Jon would fall in love with her.

"She looks lovely," Sam says.

"She is pretty," Val speaks at the same time.

Jon beams at both of them, "She is beautiful."

"She's a musician too?" Val questions.

Jon nods, "Yes, she plays the violin and the piano. She plays the guitar too, but she prefers the piano."

Even though he is smiling at both of them, _something_ shifts in Jon's expression when Sam asks, "Is she here too? In Hardhome, I mean."

"She is in Winterfell. With her family," Jon replies just as the bell signalling the end of lunch rings.

As they all go part ways, Sam cannot help but think that there is something Jon is not telling them, but he figures it is not his business, so he does not say anything.

* * *

The next time Sam sees Jon is just after school ends in the staff's room. But he has a literature club to supervise, so he only lingers long enough to mutter a quick hello to him.

* * *

" _Tell me a secret," Arya grins down at him from where she's perched at the tree branch._

" _Arya, you're almost twenty," Jon looks up and rolls his eyes._

" _Tell me a secret, stupid," she hops down from the branch, landing in front of him gracefully._

 _Jon pulls her towards him in a hug, "I love you."_

 _Arya laughs into his chest, "That is not a secret, stupid. I know that. Everybody knows that."_

 _Jon smiles into her hair, "I'm in love with you."_

 _Arya looks up at him, eyes glittering with mirth, "Everybody knows that too!"_

 _Jon growls playfully at her then, "A secret…well, you know all my secrets."_

 _She opens her mouth to reply but is cut off by her mother's voice calling them inside._

" _We could have had takeouts in our flat," she mutters dryly as they walk back towards the house._

" _Don't pretend to be grumpy. You wouldn't miss the family dinners for the world," Jon reminds her, and laughing, she nods her agreement._


End file.
